‘Exceptional’ Cold Front Slams Montana, Wyoming Mountains with Rare July Snow Pack

The Montana and Wyoming Rockies have been hit with what forecasters have called an “exceptional” and rare July cold front that has blanketed the region in a heavy snowfall.

The cold front deposited up to eight inches in some parts of the northern Rockies above the 8,000 feet elevations in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.

The weather system is so unusual that the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office in Billings said, “This pattern should not happen in July.”

Others agreed. “In my 27 years as the chief meteorologist for KXLF/KBZK, I have only reported a few times that snow is falling in SW Montana in July,” said Montana TV meteorologist Mike Heard. “Today [Monday] is one of those days.” The same weather system brought heavy storms and tornado conditions in other areas of the western plains.

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